I’ve just returned from spending two weeks in China. We had a great time and traveled with twelve college students attending classes, seeing the sites of three cities and countryside, and enjoying the company of Chinese students and faculty. As I write, it is four am and I am wide awake. I am adjusting to time differences, new sleep patterns, a new routine, and a return to my American food. But adjustments are not solely a part of re-entry; they were very much a part of my China experience. Meals were included in our trip and thirty-five out of thirty-nine were authentic traditional Chinese foods. I used a knife and fork with my four American meals, otherwise, chopsticks. In China, meals are rarely ordered individually but numerous dishes are placed on a lazy Susan in the center of the table. The purpose is to share the foods together as a community and to develop unity and harmony. As you might imagine, eating Chinese food for breakfast was different. There was no coffee and even the orange juice was served warm. The Chinese are not “into” personal space and weaving through crowds and bicycles and having people usurp my place in line was typical. I was also not used to being stared at. Yes, we were a minority—westerners and “laowai” (foreigners). Unlike other foreign countries where signs may be also in English or we could use a foreign language dictionary for help, few signs were in English-Chinese, and using a bilingual dictionary was useless. We couldn’t even begin to translate the Chinese characters. Finally, the “eastern” type lavatories were unique. I quickly realized that I needed to bring my own toilet paper with me. Using the “toilet” or water closet as the signs indicated, called for some ingenuity. (Enough said there.)

My trip certainly enlarged my thinking and much of my adjustments were about relinquishing personal preferences in order to gain opportunities and privileges. I drew a parallel to Paul’s letter to the Romans when he told us to change our thinking and renew our minds. It takes discipline, time, and relinquishing what we know as personal comfort and convenience, to gain the opportunity and privilege of thinking and acting like Christ. Once we do, the reward is immense and worth every minute.

We returned with hundreds of photos, many e-mail addresses to continue correspondence, and a special place in our hearts for our new friends. Yes, my trip was much about sacrificing personal preferences for the sake of gaining privileges and opportunities to meet new people and live in a different culture. It was sometimes stretching and sometimes inconvenient, but worth every minute.

Reflection: Read Romans 12: 1-2 and Philippians 2: 3-5. You may not be traveling to China, but how can you apply these passages to where you are today? Do you think it will be worth every minute?

Chinese Chicken Salad

Our traditional meals in China were different from American Chinese. This salad is not one of them, but will at least give us a remote flavor of China. Enjoy it as a summer meal!

Combine in a large bowl:

1 head shredded cabbage

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cucumber, diced

1 large can mandarin oranges, drained

1 can pineapple tidbits, drained

See instructions below for:

2 packages chicken flavored Ramen noodles

Toast ¼ cup sesame seeds and noodles on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Set aside.

Salad dressing:

1 cup oil (half salad oil and half sesame oil)

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp. vinegar

2 flavoring packets from Ramen noodles.

Combine in a bottle and shake until well blended. Pour over salad and toss well. Add noodles and sesame seeds and toss again. Serve immediately or it will get soggy.